Virtopsy versus autopsy in unusual case of asphyxia: case report

We report the case of a 70-year-old woman found dead in her apartment in the South of Italy in February 2011. The detailed data showed that the victim was affected by familiar-type paranoid schizophrenia. This finding was confirmed by the discovery of antipsychotic and tricyclic antidepressant drugs in the house and the deposition of her psychiatric therapist. Before the autopsy, a multislice computed tomography (MSCT) scanning of the thoracic and facial maxillo-cervical area was performed that has allowed anatomical identification and diagnosis of a mechanical obstruction as the cause of death. The autopsy has showed the presence of materials obstructing the trachea totally. Histological and toxicological investigations were carried out on the victim. The toxicological investigation has shown the presence of metabolites of tricyclic antidepressants and antipsychotics in the blood and urine. The histology showed the presence of foreign-origin materials (starch fibres) inside the pulmonary alveolus. The cause of death was asphyxia due to obstruction by food-origin material. In this case the radiological data have been compared with the autopsy and toxicological and histological data. The comparison of results has shown that MSCT scanning may aid in identification of occlusion and then in determination of the cause of death. In conclusion, MSCT scanning can be proposed in the cases of suspected asphyxia, as the screening procedure of first instance to produce preliminary information useful to rapidly develop the successive autopsy performance.